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Laaribi joins men's tennis program

August 21, 2014

Laaribi joins men's tennis program

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State men's tennis team announced Aug. 13 that Aws Laaribi (Rye, N.Y.) is joining the program. Laaribi joins the Nittany Lions after playing his freshman season at Wake Forest, where he helped the Demon Deacons reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Laaribi has three years of eligibility remaining.

Laaribi joins 11 returning members from Penn State's 2014 NCAA Tournament team. Head Coach Jeff Zinn's Nittany Lions finished with a record of 22-6 and set school records for wins, Big Ten wins(8)and wins against ranked opponents(11). The team also went 15-0 at home and finished ranked in the ITA Top 25 for the first time in program history.

"We are pleased and excited to announce Aws coming to our great university," said Zinn. "His biggest asset is knowing how to win! He was a tremendous junior player and will bring that experience with him. He has played all of the top juniors in the world and will not be intimidated by the high level of tennis in the Big Ten. He is exactly what I am looking for in a tennis player. He is smart, athletic and loves to compete in the great game of tennis."

Originally from Quebec, Laaribi went 14-10 overall and 7-6 in the spring in singles, playing mostly at No. 5 and No. 6 singles. Laaribi went 2-1 during ACC play with wins against No. 32 N.C. State and No. 40 Virginia Tech. He also earned a win against No. 48 Louisville and played No. 1 singles against N.C. Central.

Laaribi was also 15-9 overall and 8-5 in dual matches in doubles. He combined with Anthony Delcore to win six of their first eight matches of the spring, with all six wins coming against ranked teams.

During his junior career, Laaribi was ranked as one of the top five juniors in Canada in 2012 and 2013, while placing third at the Canada U-18 National Championships. He reached as high as No. 199 in the ITF world junior rankings.